CH 17

Chapter 17: Official Announcement

Cheng Fei felt that he should immediately share the news with his wife. She was a seasoned fujoshi, and when she saw a handsome CP, her eyes would light up. Just look at this pair, he dared to say that there were no more outstanding brothers in the world than them.

Naturally, there was no CP more eye-catching than them.

Jin Yanliu glanced at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He thought it was because he had lost a significant number of fans, so Cheng Fei was looking at him with such concern. Jin Yanliu straightened his posture and said, “Actually, I wasn’t as fragile as you thought. If I lost fans, so be it. I was mentally prepared for it.”

Although he said so, a cold breeze still blew through his heart.

Knowing that he was walking into danger but still proceeding, only a madman would be able to do it calmly. The power of turning fans into antis was much stronger than simple haters. Just the thought of the Liuye Leaf fans who had loved him so passionately potentially turning into antis made him unconsciously lean towards Zhou Beiyang.

The more critical the situation, the more he felt the value of family affection.

He leaned against Zhou Beiyang and closed his eyes, trying to distract himself with random thoughts.

Indeed, he was a person with ambition. Before long, his attention shifted to the TV drama “Entering The Demoic Path.”

Zhou Beiyang played Yu Yingchi, and Lu Yao played Lu Fanglin. He wondered what they would be like as a couple.

Lu Yao hated him, and as a result, he also disliked Zhou Beiyang. He deliberately paired them up, and if Lu Yao found out, he might think that he was deliberately targeting him.

“Hello, Xiao Ai.”

“Ding dong,” Xiao Ai’s voice sounded as she came online. “Darling!”

It had to be said that Xiao Ai’s voice was always full of energy, bringing joy and excitement to whoever listened.

“What did you think of my recent series of moves?” he asked Xiao Ai.

“Are you referring to the decision to cast Zhou Beiyang and Lu Yao as a CP?” Xiao Ai said. “Xiao Ai can only give you a thumbs up and say, it was amazing!”

“Lu Yao was probably furious. He had always disliked the two of us.”

“Huh?” Xiao Ai said, “No way, he should have been ecstatic and jumping around like a little deer. He really liked Zhou Beiyang!”

“What?!” Jin Yanliu was shocked. “He liked Beiyang?”

“Don’t you know? The reason he had always been your arch-nemesis was that he saw you as a love rival.”

Damn, he really didn’t know that.

“Really? When he was in middle school, he would often pick fights with us. I thought he hated me, and I thought he also hated Beiyang.”

“According to the original novel ‘Rotating Love and Devotion,’ it was because he felt that Zhou Beiyang treated you too well, so he became jealous.”

“Even good friends can be jealous. He had such a strong possessiveness.” Jin Yanliu suddenly became excited again. “So, if I got a bit closer to Beiyang in front of him on the set, would he get jealous? Definitely, he was like a firecracker, easily ignited.”

What should I do? He felt sorry for Lu Xiaoqiang.

But he felt even more sorry for himself. He was about to be exposed. In order for his plan to successfully reverse the situation, he couldn’t afford to pity others now.

“Darling,” Xiao Ai remained silent for a while and asked, “Are you considering dating?”

“Not considering,” Jin Yanliu said, “I didn’t even have enough time for self-destruction, let alone dating. Casual encounters might be possible, but I haven’t found the right person yet.”

“Okay, I just think it’s a pity that even after being exposed, you were still an inexperienced young man. Your beauty and figure were quite wasted.”

Who says it is?

Jin Yanliu pondered for a moment. “That Yan Huahua… His appearance was not bad. He stood out among many supporting male leads, so he must have been an excellent man. With his character as the male lead, he was probably still a virgin, right? Well… I would try to flirt with him during the filming.”

Xiao Ai: “…Alright.”

Jin Yanliu suddenly faintly heard him chuckle twice, and that laughter sounded particularly… wicked.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Go for it, flirt!” Xiao Ai was full of energy.

“Okay.” Jin Yanliu said, “Flirting with Yan Huahua would feel like seducing a counterfeit man.”

It felt a bit like NTR, with a touch of revengeful joy.

Come to think of it, it was a bit of a miscalculation to directly offend Yan Huahua at the beginning. Sleeping with him and then discarding him would have been a more thorough offense.

Jin Yanliu opened his eyes and felt full of energy as well.

He stretched lazily and looked at the two people in front of him.

Cheng Fei was typing with his head down, probably chatting with people from the studio. His fingers were typing incredibly fast. On the other hand, Xiao Pangzi held three phones in his hand and skillfully switched between them.

Xiao Pangzi noticed that ever since Zhou Beiyang’s official announcement on Weibo became a hot topic, the online reputation of Jin Yanliu slowly started to change.

It was indeed surprising for Jin Yanliu to enter the BL genre.

However, the addition of Zhou Beiyang brought about subtle changes in the situation.

The attention became divided, and everyone’s curiosity grew.

“What kind of divine TV drama is this, gathering two top stars all at once!”

Even the disappointment and shock among Liu Ye’s fans diminished as curiosity crept in.

If their own brother had brought along a group of C-list actors for a BL drama, it would have been seen as willingly descending into mediocrity. They would have been furious and protested. But with the presence of other A-list stars, perhaps this drama had a charm they were unaware of?!

They decided to observe and see.

At that moment, the dedicated fans contacted by the studio immediately reassured fans in various fan groups, saying, “Everyone, trust our brother’s judgment. When has he ever let us down!”

This statement reignited anticipation among Liu Ye’s fans.

Indeed, throughout the entire entertainment industry, there was no one more relaxed than Jin Yanliu’s fans.

Whether in terms of looks or reputation, he had never lost. Over the past four years, Jin Yanliu had steadily built his success. Every drama he took on was a hit.

Just as everyone was eagerly curious about “Entering The Demonic Path,” the BL drama, the production team made an urgent announcement. Jin Yanliu and Zhou Bei Yang, the two top stars, took the lead, followed by renowned cinematographer Yu Cheng and music producer Siyue. Lu Yao, along with a group of veteran actors, rounded off the cast. This lineup shocked the entire internet.

Jin Yanliu’s reputation hadn’t even begun to crumble before it was stabilized.

This production team seemed reliable.

Although Zhou Beiyang had fewer scenes, announcing him second satisfied his fans as well.

The official Weibo account of “Entering The Demonic Path” continued to impress by releasing a high-definition character still of Jin Yanliu.

Dressed in red, he looked both tragic and stunning, his beauty causing an explosion of praise.

“Ah! So beautiful!”

“Oh my, even in a BL drama, he’s raising the standard for looks.”

“I knew that the previous leak must have been photoshopped. This is the true beauty that Jin Yanliu should possess.”

“This really is a world where looks matter. Every BL drama filmed in the past year was relentlessly mocked, but when it comes to Jin Yanliu, you all start praising him blindly.”

“Can’t help it. This is the different treatment between ‘ugly’ and ‘beautiful’ BL dramas. I bet even the original author of ‘Entering The Demonic Path,’ Shu Fen, is cheering loudly.”

“Definitely! Honestly, the original novel was just average. Being able to have Jin Yanliu in it was truly a stroke of luck for the author and Shu Fen. And with so many A-listers involved, you could tell it was a major production.”

“The production team was ruthless. They didn’t give away any details initially, but once they did, they went all out, revealing the entire cast and dazzling us with their brilliance.”

“Damn, it reminds me of my own experience with turning my beloved novel into a TV drama. The costume and makeup were eye-watering, and the cast was horribly mismatched. It was a disaster.”

Even the fans of Liu Ye couldn’t stay calm when they saw the stills from the drama.

“Although I didn’t want my brother to do a BL drama, I’ve always wanted to see him in a fantasy wuxia drama. The flowing immortal robes paired with my brother’s otherworldly looks would surely be divine!”

“I heard that even though this is an adaptation of a BL novel, my brother’s character doesn’t have any romantic storyline. He doesn’t have feelings for men; it’s purely a brotherly bond. So, in that sense, it’s not much different from a regular TV drama.”

“Yes, yes! I looked up the original novel, and it does seem to be true. How could there be any in a Green Jinfengjiang novel?”

“I’m getting a bit excited now. Finally, my brother gets to do a historical costume drama. Sigh.”

“Me too! I was quite disappointed initially, but when I saw my brother’s character still, I couldn’t help but get excited. I’m such a hopeless fan of his looks.”

“I heard that the costume design was done by the master Chen Kaihe, and the music composition and cinematography were all done by award-winning masters. The crew seems reliable.”

“Breaking news! Xiao Ge said that my brother self-financed this TV drama!”

“Wow, is it true?!”

Xiao Pangzi personally responded, saying, “Absolutely true.”

Jin Yanliu wanted to retrieve his phone and see what was happening online.

However, Zhou Beiyang had his phone, so he couldn’t access the internet.

“I think Yanliu gege can actually use my phone to check it out,” Xiao Pangzi said, holding the phone and addressing Zhou Bei Yang and the others. “Um… Yanliu gege not only didn’t lose fans, but it seems like… he gained more.”

Jin Yanliu: “…!”

He immediately took Xiao Pangzi’s phone and glanced at it.

Indeed, he gained more fans, over ten thousand of them.

Beauty truly was the world’s greatest asset.

The combined power of Jin Yanliu and Zhou Beiyang, the two top stars, was truly intimidating. It not only caused a stir on the hot search rankings but also propelled the original novel to the top of the website’s rankings overnight.

After carefully analyzing the original novel, Liu Ye’s fans confirmed that Jin Yanliu’s character, Mu Hua Ying, had no romantic storyline.

Following that, fans of Liu Ye, represented by “Liuye Leaf,” and the anti-fans led by “Liuye Luo,” engaged in a heated debate that erupted into a full-fledged war of insults over whether the drama was a BL (Boys’ Love) production. Initially, it was just intense debates with both sides presenting evidence and counterarguments, but as the verbal battle intensified, rationality waned, and it devolved into mere personal attacks.

Liuye Luo: “It’s hilarious. Even if you brainless fans attack me, it won’t change the fact that your beloved brother is entering the BL industry.”

Liuye Leaf: “Screw you!”

Liuye Luo: “Oh, look who’s here. The mad dog is biting again.”

Liuye Leaf: “Bite your mother!”

Liuye Luo genuinely believed these fans were ridiculous.

He didn’t actually dislike Jin Yanliu; he just didn’t like the type of idol Jin Yanliu represented. Later, when he faced backlash, it was mostly because he was accidentally recruited by anti-fans and ended up working part-time as a hater.

It was the relentless insults from Liuye Leaf and her crazy group that pushed him to his current state.

Those crazy bitches.

He immediately sent a message to “Melting Gold, Cutting Willow”: “Bro, I’m sorry. The character stills you sent me didn’t gain much attention. Before they could circulate, the official announcement overshadowed them.”

“But let’s not lose heart. A gentleman takes revenge ten years later. If you have any opportunities on set, please discreetly take some photos for me. Not just pictures, but also any insider information. Scandals would be perfect!”

“Jin Yanliu is already twenty-four. These past years, he hasn’t had a single scandal. He doesn’t resemble a normal man. If he brings a girlfriend to the set or has any on-set romantic involvement with a female actress, even the faintest trace, you have to let me know.”

“You don’t have to wait for concrete evidence before telling me. Even if it’s just conjecture, I can work with that.”

“Sorry for disturbing you so late. Get some rest, bro.”

“Oh, I almost forgot to mention: Liuye Leaf is a fucking idiot! Jin Yanliu is bound to fail! Let’s work together and crush this pretty boy!”

After sending the message, Liuye Luo stared at Jin Yanliu’s character stills for a long time.

Damn, it looked so good. Even without fully revealing the costume, he could sense its allure. Being this handsome and seductive, this anomaly was irresistible to both men and women.

Author’s note: Remember, it’s a bunch of crazy people.